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kosr's review
5.0
Civilisations Pathological Endgame
It will be of no surprise to learn that as a Primitivist, John Zerzan hasn't got many positive things to say of civilisation. Which is fine by me, I find I too am starting to question this whole endeavour also. How can one not do so when the timeline of post-agricultural revolution societies are nothing but a pinprick on the totality of human existence?* This experiment of Civilisation is laughable brief, and it seems we're lucky enough to be living through what very well may be the final curtain call.
As someone who's jumped into a few authors who've challenged Civilsation as a concept works, I have to admit A People's History of Civilization is the best of all that I've read. However Zerzan is preaching to the choir with this reader. Why should you read it?
You don't have to agree with a Primitivists outlook, but I can guarantee with full confidence that the aforementioned will challenge some of the most basic constructs and concepts that you take for granted. Even my desensitised self was floored in some of the chapters presented. The emphasis on how humans gradually developed ways to seek a means to escape this reality mentally as the post agricultural revolution world made it unbearable really rewired my approach as to how I perceive our current reality. Even my own personal belief in the Buddhas teachings were challenged as being seen by Zerzan as another stage for humans to further escape the reality Civilisation brought to our species. In other words, pre agricultural revolution society certainly wasn't a cake walk, but humans didn't seem to need a means to mentally escape this world. Many of the great religions and concepts of the last 2000 years have been produced as a reaction to the supposed harshness of this world, when in fact they very may well have been reactions to humans insistence on following course with this grand experiment.
As it stands, I think it's our abject duty to read books such as this one, it allows us to understand what happened that's lead us to where we are now; global catastrophe.
*2000 years of civilisation vs. 2-300,000 years of species existence.
It will be of no surprise to learn that as a Primitivist, John Zerzan hasn't got many positive things to say of civilisation. Which is fine by me, I find I too am starting to question this whole endeavour also. How can one not do so when the timeline of post-agricultural revolution societies are nothing but a pinprick on the totality of human existence?* This experiment of Civilisation is laughable brief, and it seems we're lucky enough to be living through what very well may be the final curtain call.
As someone who's jumped into a few authors who've challenged Civilsation as a concept works, I have to admit A People's History of Civilization is the best of all that I've read. However Zerzan is preaching to the choir with this reader. Why should you read it?
You don't have to agree with a Primitivists outlook, but I can guarantee with full confidence that the aforementioned will challenge some of the most basic constructs and concepts that you take for granted. Even my desensitised self was floored in some of the chapters presented. The emphasis on how humans gradually developed ways to seek a means to escape this reality mentally as the post agricultural revolution world made it unbearable really rewired my approach as to how I perceive our current reality. Even my own personal belief in the Buddhas teachings were challenged as being seen by Zerzan as another stage for humans to further escape the reality Civilisation brought to our species. In other words, pre agricultural revolution society certainly wasn't a cake walk, but humans didn't seem to need a means to mentally escape this world. Many of the great religions and concepts of the last 2000 years have been produced as a reaction to the supposed harshness of this world, when in fact they very may well have been reactions to humans insistence on following course with this grand experiment.
As it stands, I think it's our abject duty to read books such as this one, it allows us to understand what happened that's lead us to where we are now; global catastrophe.
*2000 years of civilisation vs. 2-300,000 years of species existence.
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